"Archer's first ball of this Test pitched outside leg stump and flew harmlessly behind Travis Head. His second was more wayward still, again going down leg. His third a wild overcorrection, well wide of off stump. His fourth went back the other way, down the leg side. Again the tone was set, much more discordant this time, and the lead was followed."
"The pink Kookaburra is not known for being helpful for long, but it is known for being very helpful indeed for the short period when it is fresh and hard and the bowlers fresh and fast. Mitchell Starc had offered a blueprint on day one and in the 13 day-night games he had played in Australia over the past decade. England did not appear to have so much as glanced at it."
England's opening bowling during the fresh pink-ball period was erratic, with repeated wrong lines and lengths that made scoring straightforward for the Australian batters. Jofra Archer had shown a commanding performance in Perth earlier, but in this Test his early overs were wayward, with deliveries down the leg side and wide of off stump. The pink Kookaburra provides significant assistance when new and hard, and Mitchell Starc had demonstrated an effective approach in previous day-night games. England failed to replicate that blueprint, bowling too wide, too straight, too short and too full, and conceded easy runs such as Weatherald's third-man nudge.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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